1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to radio controlled fishing vessels that permit anglers to fish in otherwise inaccessible areas and to permit trolling, drifting, or bottom fishing in the angler's favorite lake, pond or back bays in and along the coast.
2. Description of Related Art
Anglers have long expressed a need to be able to place the fishing line were the fish are. Many times the fish are located in areas difficult for the angler to reach. The fish may be beyond casting range for a shore based angler or in areas surrounded by vegetation/obstructions both above and below the surface of the water. It may be difficult or impossible to reach such areas using known boats capable of carrying anglers. In addition, the use of full sized boats, and the engines to power those boats for trolling, creates excessive disturbances in the water which may drive fish away.
To address the need, a number of propelled devices have been disclosed to carry a line to a desired fishing location or for trolling such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,618,254 and 3,758,975. A modification to these devices provides a timer to release the sinkers and hooks at the desired time, and, hopefully, location such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,710,500 and 3,911,609.
Further, a number of additional floatation devices have been developed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,793,761 discloses a line controlled trolling boat. Once an electric motor is energized, the boat, mounting a fishing rod, is controlled by a single line running between the operator on the shore and the boat to control the rudder.
Radio controlled boats are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,161,077; 4,635,391; 4,757,633; 4,856,222 and 5,086,581. The radio controlled boat of U.S. Pat. No. 4,161,077 is controllable for speed and direction and has a line attached to the antenna so that it is released when a fish is hooked. The shore based angler then fights the fish in the normal manner. U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,391 also has a shore based angler holding the rod and reel. The boat carries the fishing line to the desired spot and, upon a radio command, releases the line into the water. The radio controlled boat of U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,633 also carries a line to a remote location. The line is magnetically attached to the boat so that the boat may be controlled to troll the line remote from the angler. Upon a strike, the line is released from the boat and the angler then actively catches the fish. U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,222 discloses a remotely controlled boat that carries a line to a remote location and releases the line when the fish is hooked. As such, it is used for trolling and once the fish is hooked, the angler then reels in the fish. Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,086,581 discloses a remotely controlled boat that carries the angler's line to a remote site and drops the hook. A float is attached to the line to control the hook depth.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,888 uses a radio controlled boat to tow a fishing float to a designated location. The float is connected by a fishing line to a shore based retrieval system, or capstan. The float has a second line that is lowered for fishing. Upon a fish taking the hook, the float is then retrieved by the shore based capstan.
A number of patents disclose powered reels although in many cases they are used for deep water, or commercial, fishing. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,049,829; 3,126,166; 4,283,025; 4,344,587; 4,378,652; 4,449,317; and 4,517,760 all permit powered retrieval of the line once a fish is hooked. Some are triggered by the fish taking the hook and others can be controlled by the operator.
Another problem facing anglers is the problem of snagged lines or hooks. In most cases when an angler determines the line is snagged, the line is cut at the rod and a new hook, weights, lures or other devices are attached to the line for continued fishing. To minimize the loss of line by cutting the line at the rod, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,968,112 and 3,802,110 disclose underwater fishing line cutters that may be placed on the line and will descend along the line to the vicinity of the snag were they subsequently cut the fishing line.
Each of these groups of devices solve a particular problem directed to fishing. None of the devices disclose a complete remotely controlled fishing apparatus that allows a shore based angler to control a small fishing boat that takes the fishing line to the fish, catches and retrieves the fish and, should the line become snagged, cuts the line with a minimum loss of line.